Strategies aimed at improving ergonomics and targeting stressful work demands that give workers no time to think or have lunch, can reduce the rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, European researchers say.
Occupational lung diseases continue to be a major health burden for Australian workers, with previous declines followed by a dramatic increase in cases over the last two to three years, according to Safe Work Australia
Healthcare professionals are currently provided with fewer COVID-19 protections than construction workers, and national guidance on face masks and other PPE must be overhauled to prevent coronavirus case numbers from soaring, according to Australia's peak workplace safety body.
Employers have wellbeing-related duties to contractors and subcontractors and need to think outside the square and build relationships with those who might be suffering from poor mental health, a workplace mental wellness expert says.
Unprecedented research on the link between near misses, serious work injuries and depressive symptoms has confirmed that carefully investigating near misses and implementing good reporting systems can reduce the rate and severity of serious workplace incidents.
Employers have been warned they bear the onus of ensuring their sites comply with the new COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria, which include stringent PPE requirements and workforce caps in many cases, while doctors have warned of the consequences of never "switching off" while working from home during the pandemic.
Business and union groups have joined forces to call for the urgent introduction of a paid pandemic leave scheme, saying the outbreaks of COVID-19 in Victoria - which entered a "state of disaster" last night - show workers are attending work while infectious and accelerating community transmission.
Managers and leaders distressed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on business are at risk of creating toxic, mentally unsafe workplaces for years to come, a psychologist has warned.
With Victoria recording 723 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the State Government has extended its face mask rule to all regions and vowed to do more to control the work-related pandemic risks, while NSW has extended its hygiene marshal requirement to another industry.
Workplace exposure to biological agents that cause infectious diseases, allergies and cancers needs to be managed through the same "lifecycle" approach applied to dusts and chemicals, and without relying on PPE, according to Europe's peak work safety body.
